Discoveries
by dare-denymecider
Summary: Jen's doubting her abilities as Director, Gibbs is there to reassure her. A healthy dose of cheese from Em! **JIBBS**


Knees pulled up tightly against her chest, Jenny lowered her head and allowed herself to give in to the tears that had been bu

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement of any kind intended.**

**Rating: K**

**A/N: Okay, so I know I have loads of stories I still need to finish but life has been hectic and I'm only now getting some peace and quiet. I'm working on Second Chances which I hope people are still interested in and I'm hoping to get the next chapter out by this weekend. Thanks to all who send me such encouraging feedback – I really appreciate it. Em x**

**The premise of this story is that a team of NCIS have been killed and Jenny has to make the phone calls to inform the families.**

**Discoveries**

Knees pulled up tightly to her chest, Jenny lowered her head and allowed herself to give in to the tears that had been building up inside her all day. She didn't hear the door to the stairwell open and close as the sobs wracked her body.

"It'll get easier with time,"

Jenny's head shot up from where it rested on her knees, startled by the voice. "How did you know where I'd be?" she choked out, wiping at her damp cheeks with the back of her hand. Gibbs lowered himself to the ground beside her, his arm resting gently against hers.

"This is where you've always come at the end of a hard day,"

"Yeah, well today's been harder than most," she muttered quietly, the tears flowing freely once more down her cheeks despite her attempts to pull herself together. Gibbs reached out and wiped away the tears with his thumb. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he gently turned her face to him. She looked him in the eye for a moment and then tried to lower her head but his hand steadied her. "I'm not strong enough for this," she admitted, "I thought I was but I'm not,"

"Yes, you are," Gibbs assured her as she shook her head. "Yes. You. Are. Jen, you're the most amazing, competent, intelligent, passionate woman that I know. Your passion and drive got you this far, you just have to learn how to channel all of that emotion so that you're able to deal with situations like this. You knew it was going to be a part of the job when you became Director,"

"But I've had to deal with losing team members when I was an agent and it never felt like this,"

"That's because you feel guilty…responsible, even, for their deaths. You seem to think that the buck stops with you but it doesn't, Jen. We all know the risks when we sign up for this job. We know there's a possibility we might go to work one morning and not come home at the end of the day. It's all part of the danger and excitement of being an agent. No one blames you, Jen." Gibbs buried his face in her hair and kissed her softly.

"It's just so difficult to make these phone calls. I don't want to be the one to tell them that they're never going to see their husband or father or son again," she said, resting her head on his shoulder as he pulled her close.

"It's the last thing you can do for your agents. You're the last connection their family has to them and you need to be the one to comfort them. I'm not saying you'll ever get used to it but I promise you, Jen, it will get easier with time,"

They sat in silence for a few moments before Jen suddenly moved away from him and stood up. "Eugh, I'm so embarrassed," she said.

"Don't be," Gibbs replied, standing up to face her, "I'd be more worried if you weren't bothered by the whole thing,"

"Thank you, for, you know," Jen smiled shyly before wiping furiously at her eyes. "God, I'm must look a mess!"

"You look beautiful. But then, you've always been beautiful to me," Gibbs grinned, leaning in to capture her lips in a soft kiss. When she pulled away after a few seconds he watched as she took a deep breath and set herself back into 'Director' mode. "How many do you still have to do?"

"Two. Johnstone and Ancliffe." She looked at her watch. "I'm not going to get out of here until at least 9,"

"It's okay," he said as they walked towards the door. "You know where to find me,"

Jen stopped at turned to face him. She smiled at him and tilted her head to kiss him. "Just like you always know where to find me,"

**Please let me know what you thought. Em x**


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